Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1887-07-07
MechamcsowL Frederick County, Maryland Thursday July / 1887
Introductory Sermon
DELIVERED BY
REV. w. q. Wirc,.
IN
LITTLESIOWN, PA,
SUNDAY, JUNE, larH. .lSS7.

In coming before you for the frs,
time as your pastor, desire to address
you in a rlain, practical, Introductory
discourse.
The most earnest desire Of my heart
and the determination of my mind as
your pastor, is expressed in the text l
propose to use.
As congregation of christians bear
ing the name of the immortal Luther,
standing on the doctrinal basis of our
grard Augsburg confession and the
| word of God as the only rule 0 I
faith and practice, | believe that the
desire Of your hearts, and the purposes
Of your minds will accord with that of
of mine, and mine with yours.
The text which expresses nay desire,
and the purpose Of my mind, and
which | believe accords also with yours
will be found in lst Cor &: -
Il determined not to k,.uw anything
among you but Christ and Him cructicd:'
I}y this language, do not Under
stand the Apostle to mean that he was
ignorant of corinthian philosophy or
that he dld not know anything of their
customs and laws.
Paul had been brought up at the feet
of the learned Gamaliah and was able
to quote from the Greek poets as we'll
as from Israel's prophets.
He had spent at least Il year and six
months, in Corinth and had doubtl(s IS
learned much Of the Objects that engag-
ed their attention and the topics they
discussed and thel efore was not ignor-
ant of everything but OF Christ.
An examination Of the original Greek
text and u stHdy of the connection in
which this language was used, shows us
that st. Paul moant that be had deter
mined not to attend to, engage in, or
regard among them. anything bu t
Christ and Him crucifed.' That his
attention should not be taken up, nor
his mind fixed on anything bat his one
great mission.
i, Whilst Christ and Him cruciiied wha
the one great theme Of the Apostle, 1t
is evident that he considered thr amusc-
ments rf society around him, the field
of literature, Of gain and ambition and
referred to cultivated sclcncc that he
might more successfully explain and
yindicate the gospel. He became famil-
iar with works of art aid taste that he
migf I more suc>essfa ly show those WHO
cultivated them the superior beauty
and excellence Of tn. cross. he stuffed
the plans and emplovmens Of men that
.he might more successfully speak to
them of the gtcatSE ,lun of redemption.
Th. scope Of the Apostles argument
is not that the atonins death Of Christ
must be the only text nor the exclusive
and explicit theme OF every discourse );
fer whilst it is the important ahd :ltal
eye, there are also other articles OF
christuin faith and duty, but it teaches
that all these converge and point to
"Jesus and Him crucitied."
The preachers duty in the pulpit
embraces two ideas, the first is the
preaching of Christ and tho other ia
preaching the word Of God.
Christ the master commissioning lis
disciples SAID "Qo teach all nations" "
BY my ordination VOW am bHund to
instruct the people committed to my
charge out Of the Holy Scriptures. In
the scriptures the lLoly Bible, find a
field of infinite variety and Il great
range Of topics. This book contains q
brief rtfercnce to creation, numerous
narratives of ancient historic events, and
the description of different shades Of
character and their unfoldings into hap
ry and baneful results as way marks
to guide US. Here the Golden Rule,
"do unto others. as you would they
should do unto you,' is taught, and
here we have the outpoltrinss ofdeyout
hearts in psalms Of praise and prayers
Of supplications, and to it Jesus refer
ed the Jews, saying, "search the Scrip
lures for in them ye think ye have etcr-
nal life and they ere they that testify
of me.
st. Paul in writing to Timothy re
minded him that he had been '.fron Il
child" grounded i'll the scriptures of the
Old Testament, which he says care able
tomake you wise unto salvation through
faith which is in Christ Jesus
Christ is not explicitly preached in
in every passage of the Scriptures, but
faith in Christ is the key that unlocks